Department for Transport

Electric Scooters

Lord Vaizey of Didcot: To ask Her Majesty's Government what regulations exist to protect electronic scooters from cyber threats.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department is currently developing technical standards for the construction of e-scooters. Protection against cyber threats, and its merits, will be considered as one of the requirements in these standards. Knowledge gained from the e-scooter trials as well as relevant evidence from other sources will be taken into account.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the results ofthe Grocery Code Adjudicator Survey 2022, published on 9 June.

Lord Callanan: The Government has noted the results of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) 2022 Groceries Sector Survey and encourages suppliers to raise concerns about non-compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice, in confidence, with the GCA. The results of the survey will also be used to help to inform the third statutory review of the GCA, along with stakeholder responses to a consultation the Government will issue in due course.

Company Accounts: Standards

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 15 June (HL760), whether they will change the answer given to the original question, answered on 27 May (HL404), now that this later answer clarifies that the attachment of the January 2007 impact assessment to the answer (HL404) has no relevance to the question put.

Lord Callanan: I refer the noble Baroness to the Government’s response to HL760, which supplements the Government’s response to HL404.

UK Endorsement Board

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 15 June (HL760), why the UK Endorsement Board is missing from the Public Appointments Order in Council; and whether (1) the Commissioner for Public Appointments, and (2) the National Audit Office, have been made aware of that omission.

Lord Callanan: As the UK Endorsement Board is not regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, it does not appear on the Public Appointments Order in Council, which was last reviewed in 2019 – prior to the UK Endorsement Board being established. With the exception of the Chair, appointments to the UK Endorsement Board are made by the Chair, with the consent of Ministers rather than being full public appointments. BEIS officials have not discussed the UK Endorsement Board with the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the National Audit Office. The Government undertakes to consult the Commissioner’s office to discuss whether to include the UK Endorsement Board in the Order.

UK Endorsement Board: Public Appointments

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 15 June (HL760),how many applications were received for the post of Chair of the UK Endorsement Board; how many candidates were invited for interview; what was the composition of the interview panel; when and where the announcement was made that Pauline Wallace had been reappointed; and whether they will place a copy of the candidate pack in the Library of the House.

Lord Callanan: Diversity summaryOf seven applications to the role of Chair of the UK Endorsement Board, two were female and five are male. A detailed split is as follows:  MaleFemaleBAMEWith DisabilitiesLGBTTotal5 (71%)2 (29%)4 (57%)1 (14%)0 (0%) Panel Summary  Panel Chair and BEIS Representative: Eoin Parker, Director, Business FrameworksOther Panel Member: John Coomber, Non-Executive Director, Financial Reporting CouncilOther Panel Member: Clare Cole, Director of Market Oversight at the Financial Conduct AuthorityIndependent Panel Member: Shrinivas Honap, Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Chair, UK Space Agency As this campaign is still ongoing, no announcement on the successful candidate has been made. There are no plans to place a copy of the candidate pack in the Libraries of the House.

Rothschild Family Investment Management Company

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will investigate the incorporation of Rothschild Family Investment Management Company Limited, registered at Companies House on 9 June.

Lord Callanan: We are unable to comment on individual cases.The Registrar of Companies has no current powers to verify information properly delivered in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 or other enactments.However, following extensive consultation over 2020 and 2021, the Government published on 28 February 2022 a detailed White Paper setting out far-reaching reforms to Companies House.It is the Government’s intention to bring forward appropriate legislation early in this session of this Parliament.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme

Baroness Buscombe: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish a data dashboard showing the Tier 1 bank's management performance of Bounce Back Loans.

Lord Callanan: The British Business Bank is responsible for the administration of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. The Bank intends to publish data on the performance of each scheme, including levels of prevented and suspected fraud. The data will also include lender-by-lender information on the number and value of original facilities, and the number and value of claims settled under the terms of the scheme Guarantees. This data will be made available to the public via the Bank website in the near future.

Energy: Waste

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility of retrofitting homes to enable them to use energy created from waste.

Lord Callanan: Biomethane is produced from organic waste such as food waste, manures and slurries, and sewage. The Government supports biomethane production and injection from anaerobic digestors into the gas grid through the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive, which closed to new applicants in March 2021; and through the Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) which launched on 30 November 2021. No specific retrofitting of homes is required.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data they have, if any, on thesuccess of treatments provided by COVID Medicines Delivery Units in the UK; and whether they are looking at the data on patients unable to access a CMDU and their outcomes.

Lord Kamall: NHS England and NHS Improvement collect data on treatments for patients hospitalised due to COVID-19, hospital-onset infections and non-hospitalised patients treated through COVID Medicines Delivery Units (CMDUs). Data is collected on the numbers of treatments prescribed and administered, which shows that as of 12 June 2022, approximately 48,000 patients have been treated via CMDUs in England.NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with the research community to monitor observational data on treatment outcomes. In addition, the Government’s PANORAMIC study of novel COVID-19 antivirals is expected to publish outcomes of its research in due course.

Urinary Tract Infections: Catheters

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of catheter associated urinary tract infections; and how the effectiveness of those steps will be evaluated.

Lord Kamall: NHS England and NHS Improvement have established a workstream for urinary tract infections (UTIs) to reduce the prevalence by trialling and implementing interventions which could prevent infections in older people. This includes a series of hydration pilots in England which will evaluate and improve our understanding of which interventions best increase fluid intake in older people and reduce the risk of UTIs. The collection of data within the workstream will enable evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions.

Cystic Fibrosis: Mental Health Services

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to safeguard access to psychosocial professionals for (1) paediatric, and (2) adult, cystic fibrosis patients in the UK.

Lord Kamall: NHS England’s adult and paediatric cystic fibrosis service specifications set out national standards, including the importance of access to multidisciplinary teams involving appropriately trained clinical psychologists and social workers. There are regular review meetings between the regional commissioning teams and providers to ensure compliance with service standards across the range of services commissioned.Health Education England has supported a 60% expansion in the clinical psychology training intake over the past two years. Trainees can undertake specialist placements and upon qualification take up posts across a wide range of settings, including working with adults and children with cystic fibrosis.The Government committed at least £500 million to develop and support the adult social care workforce over the next three years. We are ensuring a sufficient supply of social workers through measures such as support and development for a post-graduate mental health social work programme, the Education Support Grant and Social Work Bursaries.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data outcomes are being collected by the COVID-19 Medicines Delivery Unit following the administration of (1) anti-virals, and (2) Sotrovimab, to COVID-positive patients; and when this data will be published.

Lord Kamall: NHS England and NHS Improvement collect information from COVID Medicine Delivery Units (CMDUs) on COVID-19 treatments prescribed and administered. This data includes the number of eligible non-hospitalised patients receiving an antiviral or neutralising monoclonal antibody treatment through a CMDU and the number of eligible hospitalised patients treated with an antiviral, neutralising monoclonal antibody, interleukin-6 inhibitor or JAK inhibitor. This information is published on weekly basis in an online only format and excludes treatments administered as part of clinical trials, such as the PANORAMIC or RECOVERY studies.In addition, a number of independent studies are analysing data on outcomes for treated and untreated patients. While NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to work with the research community to understand this observational data and understand the impact of treatments on outcomes, these studies are conducted independently of the NHS and therefore information on potential publication dates is not held.

Evusheld

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care on 7 June (1507), when they expect the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) testing review of Evusheld to be completed.

Lord Kamall: AstraZeneca commissioned the UK Health Strategic Authority (UKHSA) to complete testing into the effectiveness of Evusheld against the Omicron variants. The initial testing is now complete and data has been shared with AstraZeneca. After reviewing the data, it is a matter for AstraZeneca to determine whether to commission further testing, therefore we are unable to confirm when testing will be completed.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce waiting times targets for respiratory conditions for (1) diagnosis, and (2) treatment.

Lord Kamall: There are existing operational standards and targets for elective care services, including for respiratory services. For patients referred for non-urgent, consultant-led treatment, the waiting time target is 18 weeks from the day the appointment is booked or when the hospital or service receives the referral letter. The waiting time target for diagnostic tests is six weeks.The operational standard states that less than 1% of patients should wait six weeks or more from referral for a diagnostic test and less than 92% of patients should wait 18 weeks or more from referral for consultant-led treatment.

Department for Education

Children's Commissioner for England: Public Appointments

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the independence of the office of the Children’s Commissioner for England; and whether it is consistent with the independence of that office for the postholder to be a member of a registered political party.

Baroness Barran: The Children’s Commissioner post is a significant public appointment and must adhere to the requirements of the Governance Code for Public Appointments.In accordance with Section 9 of the Governance Code for Public Appointments, it is permissible for public appointees to be politically active providing the activity is publicly declared. The Office of the Children’s Commissioner has published a register of interest on their website for their Advisory Board, Audit and Risk Committee and Senior Leadership team.As set out in the Framework Document between the Children’s Commissioner and the Department for Education, the Commissioner has freedom to determine their own priorities and activities, and should be subject to as few constraints as possible in deciding how to carry out their business within their statutory remit. This independence is secured primarily through the Children Act 2004.The Commissioner is required under Section 8 (1) of the Children Act 2004, to publish an annual report which sets out the way in which she has discharged her functions, and what she has found in the course of exercising those functions. This report is sent to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and laid before each House of Parliament.

Ofsted: Public Appointments

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government throughwhat process the post of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is filled; what the term of appointment is; whether the appointment is renewable; and if so, how many times the appointment can be renewed.

Baroness Barran: Appointments to the post of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector are conducted in line with the Public Appointments Process, following the Governance Code, as set out by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Further information on this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-code-for-public-appointments.These are Crown Appointments made by the Queen in Council, on the recommendation of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. The duration of terms served for public appointments can vary, but it is presumed that no individual should serve more than two terms or serve in any one post for more than ten years.

Children's Commissioner for England: Public Appointments

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government through what process the post of the Children’s Commissioner for England is filled; what the term of appointment is; whether the appointment is renewable; and if so, how many times the appointment can be renewed.

Baroness Barran: Paragraph 3 (1) of Schedule 1 of the Children Act 2004 states that the Children’s Commissioner is to be appointed by the Secretary of State.The Children's Commissioner for England is a significant public appointment. This means the appointment process must adhere to the requirements of the Governance Code for Public Appointments, and that the preferred candidate is subject to scrutiny by the Education Select Committee.Paragraph 3 (4) and (5) of Schedule 1 of the Children Act 2004 (“the 2004 Act”) states that a Commissioner can only be appointed for a maximum term of up to six years, and that a person who has previously held office as the Children’s Commissioner may not be considered for reappointment.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to (1) the African Union, and (2) other bodies, to broker new peace negotiations following the recent release of political prisoners in Sudan.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: On 30 May, the British Ambassador to Sudan welcomed the lifting of the state of emergency and release of detainees as important steps to help create a favourable environment for political talks. We reiterated this at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on 3 June, but continue to call for all those detained arbitrarily to be released, for civil and political freedoms to be respected, and for an end to violence against protestors. At the UNSC, we also expressed our support for talks facilitated by the UN, African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development; a message reiterated in a tweet by the Minister for Africa on 8 June.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have provided (1) aid, and (2) diplomatic support, in response to recent attacks on Massalit communities in Darfur, Sudan, by the Janjaweed militia.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We issued a statement on 25 April, setting out our concerns and the need for the Sudanese authorities to deliver their responsibilities to protect civilians. We underscored the importance of an independent investigation into the violence at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on 27 April and helped to secure a UNSC statement condemning the violence on 29 April. We are also in contact with the UN over providing humanitarian assistance to those affected. We have frequently raised our concerns at violence in Darfur with the Sudanese authorities, including the leadership of the Rapid Support Forces, during a visit by the UK Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea on 27-29 April. We will continue to do so.The fragile security situation across Sudan has been exacerbated by the ongoing political crisis. Since the military coup in October 2021, we have encouraged all Sudanese political actors to engage in talks to restore a civilian-led government. Our Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea delivered this message directly to Sudan's military leadership during his 27-29 April visit.

East Africa: Humanitarian Aid

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 31 May (HL450 and HL451), whether the £72 million in financial aid to (1) Ethiopia, (2) Kenya, (3) Somalia, and (4) South Sudan, to combat drought, flooding and conflict was additional to the £169 million in aid allocated to those countries in 2021–22.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The £72 million of assistance encompassed allocations to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan. Some of this was for new programming not covered in the £169 million allocation, for example the £25 million announced for Somalia by the Minister for Africa in April.

Nigeria: Violence

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the International Criminal Court (ICC) regardingalleged recent atrocities committed in Nigeria by jihadist groups and organisations targeting minorities; and what assistance they are providing to the ICC in proceeding with any formal investigations.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Support for international criminal justice and accountability is a fundamental element of our foreign policy. The UK has always been, and remains, a strong supporter of the mission of the International Criminal Court (ICC), in line with its founding Statute. It is important for the stabilisation of North East Nigeria that victims and the families of those affected by the conflict see that justice has been done.On 11 December 2020 the Prosecutor announced that she had concluded her preliminary examination stating there was a reasonable basis to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed in Nigeria. The Prosecutor is now seeking judicial authorisation to open an ICC investigation. The UK has not been asked by the ICC to provide assistance.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Energy Bills Rebate

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Goldie on 13 April (HL7497), when they will announce their decision on a rebate to (1) service personnel, and (2) their families, living in serviced accommodation.

Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been working to explore options for the calculation and implementation of a potential rebate to Service personnel and families in Service Accommodation. The MOD aims to make an announcement in the near future.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Harrogate

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 28 April (HL7970) and the subsequent correspondence on 11 May, of the six notified persons who missed their initial deadline date, which benefits were each of the six persons claiming; and how many had (1) ill health or a disability, and (2) some form of complex needs (including, but not limited to ill health and disability).

Baroness Stedman-Scott: Of the 6 people who did not claim Universal Credit by their deadline each was in receipt of: 1 person was claiming Employment Support Allowance2 people were claiming Job Seekers Allowance3 people were claiming Income Support2 people were claiming Tax Credits5 people were claiming Housing Benefit The information we hold does not go into the specifics of each case including complex needs and/ or disabilities.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Cereals: Production

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take, if any to increase grain production in the UK in the light of current global supply shortages; and whatdiscussions they have had with other governments regarding the expansion of grain production globally in response to those shortages.

Lord Benyon: The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges in the past few years. The UK is highly self-sufficient in most grains production, with 88% of cereals consumed in the UK in 2020 produced domestically. Our fantastic British farmers are world-leaders and carefully plan their planting to suit the weather, their soil type, and their long-term agronomic strategy. It is not Government policy to determine which cereals or other crops farmers should prioritise to include in their rotation. In 2021 we permanently removed Basic Payment Scheme 'greening measures' on crop diversification and ecological focus areas, meaning when farmers are making crop planting decisions, they are free to react to market signals. We continue to keep the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We have also increased our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real-time intelligence and to identify where mitigations are available. Globally, the UK is engaging with likeminded partners through multi-lateral forums including the World Trade Organization, United Nations and G7 to build consensus on the importance of keeping markets open to support global food security and facilitate the smooth functioning of global trade. We welcome the World Bank’s announcement of $30 billion to address food insecurity globally over the next 15 months, which responds to the UK’s calls for the Bank to mobilise funding to tackle the growing crisis. With G7 allies, we support the launch of the Global Alliance on Food Security, to scale up a rapid, needs-based, coordinated response which avoids a fragmented global response. As an initial response the UK has committed another £10 million to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program to build resilience in agriculture and food security in the poorest countries, bringing our total contribution to £186 million.

Environmental Land Management Schemes: Advisory Services

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they will take to provide land managers engaged in Environmental Land Management schemes with access to affordable, accredited advice to deliver the changes necessary in management practice.

Lord Benyon: We want the Environmental Land Management schemes to be user friendly, and easy to access and engage with, so that advice can focus on where it will really add value. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is a simple, menu-based scheme which is largely self-service, supported by high quality, very accessible technical guidance – freely available to all farmers and land managers whether in schemes or not. This is being tested during pilot and early rollout and we are responding quickly to the feedback. The Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery schemes are expected to need a greater level of advisory support than SFI. We are exploring through our tests, trials and ongoing detailed policy design work the need for advice in these schemes, how best it could be delivered, and who is best placed to provide it. We have also been clear that we intend to support collaboration in these schemes. We found in our tests and trials that local facilitators can really help people work together effectively. We plan to work with farmers and other experts to set up a new facilitation offer that builds on the successes and lessons to be learned from the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund, which remains open to anyone eligible for agri-environment schemes. In addition, through our Landscape Recovery pilots we will test how we can best support groups of land managers to deliver large-scale land use change projects, including through our funded project development phase. The Future Farming Resilience Fund has been developed to provide free business support to farmers and land managers during the agricultural transition. ALB advisers will also provide targeted support to encourage good engagement and ensure high quality agreements. We are working with existing providers to support development of environmental skills and accreditation in the commercial advice sector. The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management have developed a competency framework for environmental advisers and BASIS have set up an Environmental Adviser Register which requires a qualification to entry or demonstration of knowledge and experience, coupled with an ongoing continuous professional development requirement. These various advice and information pathways should result in land managers taking better account for the environment in their business, leading to innovation and improvements in land use and management practices.

Environmental Land Management Schemes

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of future environmental land management schemes on (1) agriculture, (2) biodiversity, and (3) wellbeing; and what will be the (a) advantages, and (b) disadvantages.

Lord Benyon: We have produced early assessments of the potential impact of all land management actions being considered by the ELM schemes on environmental outcomes (including biodiversity), how these are relevant to our environmental priorities and outcomes (as published in Environmental Land Management: Outcomes, January 2022), as well as what the potential impact on food production may be.We have a legal duty as per the Agriculture Act 2020 to consider the impact of our schemes on our ability to produce food in a sustainable way. We embed that duty into all elements of our scheme development. In addition, as the design and content of the schemes mature, we will draw upon modelling to refine our understanding and quantify the full impact of the schemes. This modelling will bring together an ongoing commissioned project to understand the environmental, and associated societal, impacts of land management actions across England over space and time with a project exploring the structure of the farming population and agricultural sector.

Package Holidays: Animal Welfare

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to prevent the sale in the UK of international holidays which steer tourists towards visiting attractions involving animals that have been treated cruelly.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: This Government takes the welfare of all animals seriously and as set out in the Government's Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are committed to promoting high animal welfare standards both at home and abroad. Tourists, here, are being offered holiday packages overseas involving unacceptably low-welfare animal activities, attractions, and experiences. Animals that are part of tourist attractions with high levels of human interaction are often subjected to cruel and brutal training practices to ensure their compliance. Reputable and responsible tour operators should not be offering activities that create animal welfare issues. The Association of British Travel Agents has published guidelines and lists activities which have been classified as unacceptable. Holidaymakers should be encouraged to do research and be informed to make the right choices that benefit wildlife. We support measures which ensure that money from tourists from this country is not channelled towards animal experiences abroad that involve the unacceptable treatment of animals.

Home Office

Nationality and Borders Act 2022

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government which sections of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 are now in force; and when they expect to implement the other sections.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (“the Act”) achieved Royal Assent on 28th April 2022.The provisions set out in section 87(3) and (4) of the Act came into force immediately upon Royal Assent. The provisions set out in section 87(5) of the Act will come into force on 28th June 2022. The provisions listed in Schedule 1 of the Act (Commencement No. 1, Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2022 are also due to come into force on 28th June.Given the extent of the reforms, the remaining measures will be implemented over the coming months and into next year.

Immigration

Lord Mann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new migrants legally settled in the UK in the period January–April.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office publishes data on the number of grants of Settlement in the “How many people continue their stay in the UK or apply to stay permanently?” topic and underlying datasets of the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.The latest data relates to the year ending March 2022 and can be found in table se_D02, which is attached.table se_D02 (xlsx, 98.3KB)

Immigration: Hong Kong

Lord Mann: To ask Her Majesty's Government howmany migrants from Hong Kong have settled in the UK since June 2020.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office publishes data on the number of applications and grants of leave of people from Hong Kong on the British National Overseas (BN(O)) route in the “How many people come to the UK each year (including visitors)?” topic and underlying datasets of the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.The latest data for the BN(O) route relates to the year ending March 2022. These statistics include data on main applicants and dependants.The Home Office publishes data on the number of grants of settlement, broken down by nationality in table Se_D01 in the Settlement datasets, which is attached. The latest data relates to the year 2020.Settlement datasets (xlsx, 5762.7KB)

Migrants: Domestic Abuse

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the letter from the IC Change coalition to the Home Secretary on 30 May, which invites them to ratify the Istanbul Convention without reservations and without waiting for the findings of the Support for Migrant Victims pilot scheme evaluation.

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence on the effects of applying a reservation on Article 59 of the Istanbul Convention; and what assessment they have made of the impact of applying a reservation on Article 59 of the Istanbul Convention.

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to revisit the reservation on Article 59 of the Istanbul Convention after the Support for Migrant Victims pilot scheme evaluation is published; how long they expect the process of revisiting the reservation to take; and when the reservation might be lifted if the decision is taken to do so.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK signed the Istanbul Convention in 2012, signalling its strong commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) and the Government has been working hard to ratify the Istanbul Convention as soon as we possibly can. On 17 May, the Home Secretary made a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament confirming that the UK will commence the ratification process for the Istanbul Convention and that we will be applying two reservations, including one on Article 59 which relates to support for migrant victims of domestic abuse. The last annual progress report on ratification of the Convention confirmed that the UK’s position on Article 59 is “under review” pending the results and evaluation of the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme. This £1.5 million scheme was set up to address evidence gaps regarding which cohorts of migrant victims are likely to be most in need of support, the numbers involved and how well existing arrangements may address their needs. The evaluation will conclude this summer, which will enable the Government to take evidence-based decisions on how best to protect these victims in the long term, and we will then consider what, if any, policy changes should be made. Therefore, we decided to apply a reservation on Article 59, which nine other countries have also done, to enable the UK to ratify as soon as possible. This decision is wholly without prejudice to the conclusions relating to Article 59 and corresponding policy decisions reached in the light of the evaluation of the SMV scheme, at which point we would be able either to maintain the reservation or to withdraw it under Article 78(4) of the Convention. We will do this as soon as possible, but I cannot provide a timescale.We will reply in due course to the letter from the IC Change coalition. As the role of the Group of experts on action against violence against women and domestic violence is to monitor the implementation of the Convention by those parties which have ratified it, rather than to assess the terms under which a party decides to ratify the Convention, the Government has not discussed the reservation on Article 59 with them.

Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice on 29 November 2021 (79500), how many surgeries have been held at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre since contingency arrangements wereput in place to provide access to the Detention Duty Advice Scheme.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in immigration removal centres (IRCs) in England under the Detained Duty Advice Scheme. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met. Staff in immigration removal centres work closely with the LAA to manage demand for the Detained Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS). Following feedback, the weekly rotas for legal providers were instead made into daily rotas, thereby increasing choice for detained individuals, as well as the number of advice slots available allowing for flexibility around the time and days these sessions can be held. The surgeries are operated when detained individuals request to engage with a legal provider under the scheme. On an ad-hoc basis additional advice sessions are also arranged in line with demand. This approach has continued throughout the immigration removal estate and is in operation at Derwentside IRC. In order to provide access to DDAS services for women held at Derwentside IRC, from 1 January 2022, existing legal providers at Yarl’s Wood IRC were invited to provide an additional 6 months of interim provision at Derwentside. There have been 44 Detained Duty Advice Surgeries available from 1 January 2022, to date, at Derwentside. Within these surgeries, 109 appointments have taken place by phone and 63 by video-conferencing platforms.

Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how thecontract with Care and Custody to deliver the management of all detainees’ needs at the Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre is monitored.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Mitie Care and Custody is required to provide a safe and secure environment for detained individuals in their care at Derwentside immigration removal centre (IRC). There is a robust and comprehensive system of contract management and monitoring in place for the delivery of services. The contract is managed in line with Government best practice and the Cabinet Office commercial operating standards. This includes weekly and monthly operationally led meetings to review performance and formal Quarterly Contract Review Meetings to establish whether the services are being performed to the required standards. Mitie’s performance is measured against a set of defined key performance indicators. Onsite Home Office compliance teams are responsible for ensuring that suppliers are fulfilling their contractual requirements. They monitor the services provided, the treatment of detained individuals, the condition of the establishment and ensure that the Home Office is receiving effective service and value for money. Independent monitoring of our IRCs is vital to ensuring that each centre provides a secure and humane environment for detained individuals. Recommendations are made by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons in their regular reviews, and public reports, of IRCs. Accepted recommendations are incorporated into a publicly available service improvement plan. In addition, each centre has its own Independent Monitoring Board, tasked with ensuring proper standards of care and decency for those in detention. The Boards issue annual reports, and also make recommendations for improvements.

Immigration: Appeals

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what processes they follow to implement the judgments of the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber).

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Published guidance in relation to implementing allowed appeals can be found here - Implementing allowed appeals (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Greenhalgh on 8 June (HL337) regarding the cost of the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, where the information concerning the costs was published in September 2021.

Lord Greenhalgh: Information concerning costs was given in response to written questions in the House of Commons and published on 13 September 2021 as UIN 41607 (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-09-03/41607 )and UIN 41608 (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-09-03/41608 ). UIN 41607 (pdf, 65.4KB)UIN 41608 (pdf, 66.6KB)

Cabinet Office

Internet

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of private companies using internet addresses suggesting those sites are linked to the government, such as GovNet.

Lord True: Government departments have a set of processes in place to tackle fraudulent websites set up by private companies, for example sites purporting to be government using government-type domains. The nature of the action depends on the type of site and can include asking the domain registrar to suspend the domain, reporting to Action Fraud or National Trading Standards or reaching out directly to organisations concerned to tell them to stop using misleading branding or information. In some cases, we work with the Government Legal Department to take direct legal action. Some sites, although potentially misleading, are able to operate within legal boundaries. In these cases, we work to ensure that government services are correctly listed and rank highly in search engine results. This helps to ensure that they are easy for people to find and identify as government services. Where misleading websites have paid for prominent positioning in search results, we also raise this with the relevant search engine.

Honours

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord True on 7 June (HL708), what are the original (1) regions, and (2) nations, given as the living address for the 63 current holders the Companion of Honour at the time their honour was awarded; and what percentage of current holders came from each region or nation.

Lord True: There are currently 63 living recipients of the Companion of Honour. Information is only held on 41 living recipients. Honours data is routinely destroyed by the Cabinet Office in accordance with our data retention policy for honours and not all the nominations were processed by the Cabinet Office, therefore we do not hold all of the information requested. Data is collected using the county that the recipient gives as their correspondence address; this is usually their current home address and does not necessarily reflect their area of origin. Regional data for living Companion of Honour recipients: RegionNumber of living Companion of Honour recipients per regionPercentage of living Companion of Honour recipients per regionEast34.8%East Midlands11.6%London1828.6%North East00.0%Northern Ireland11.6%North West00.0%Scotland34.8%South East1015.9%South West11.6%Wales00.0%West Midlands23.2%Yorkshire & Humberside11.6%Abroad11.6%No information held2234.9% Data for living Companion of Honour recipients by nation: NationNumber of Companion of living Honour recipients per nationPercentage of living Companion of Honour recipients per nationEngland3657.1%Northern Ireland11.6%Scotland34.8%Wales00.0%Abroad11.6%No information held2234.9%

Airports: Staff

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for individuals beginning work at airports and requiring airside clearance, what is the average time between the point the individual is offered the job to the point where such clearance is granted.

Lord True: I should advise that National Security Vetting (NSV) undertaken by Her Majesty’s Government, remains separate from concurrent industry background checks. Background checks as conducted by industry can take between 12 and 14 weeks to complete. The Department for Transport (DfT) has implemented changes to help reduce these industry timescales utilising HMRC data to support reference checks. The Cabinet Office acts as a service provider for NSV clearances only. For national security reasons I am unable to share processing times for security clearances. However, I can advise that United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) expedite all NSV cases for the aviation industry, in response to operational challenges currently impacting the aviation sector. Security checks for the aviation sector are being processed in a timely manner with no current delays. In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.

Treasury

Economic Situation

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reportOECD Economic Outlook, published on 8 June; and what assessment they have made of the prediction in that report that Britain will experience zero economic growth in 2023.

Baroness Penn: The OECD’s latest Economic Outlook underlines the uncertainty around the global economic outlook. The OECD forecast global growth will slow sharply this year and to remain at a subdued pace in 2023 linked to the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, inflationary pressures across many economies and continuing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The OECD estimates global growth of 3.0% in 2022 and 2.8% in 2023. The OECD forecast that the UK economy will grow by 3.6% this year, the second fastest in the G7, while growth in 2021 was the highest of the G7 (7.4%). Looking ahead, we face challenges across the global economy – common challenges with other countries including high inflation. This is why we are taking significant action to support households with the cost of living totalling around £37bn this year. We also continue to make progress against our plan for growth to support the economy, including a landmark capital uplift in the Spending Review 2021, the creation of the UK Infrastructure Bank, more funding for apprenticeships and skills training, a commitment to double public investment in R&D, and the launch of the UK-wide Help to Grow scheme.

Economic Recession

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made about the likelihood of the UK falling into recession during the course of this year; and what plans they have to avoid it.

Baroness Penn: Like other advanced economies, the UK is affected by global economic challenges, including the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. Support provided over the past two years has put the UK economy in a good position to deal with these challenges, with a record number of employees on payrolls and a strong economic recovery from the pandemic. Annual growth in 2021 was the fastest in the G7, and GDP data for Q1 2022 showed the UK had the joint fastest growth in the G7. The government continues to make progress against our plan for growth to support the economy, including a landmark capital uplift in the Spending Review 2021, the creation of the UK Infrastructure Bank, more funding for apprenticeships and skills training, a commitment to double public investment in R&D, and the launch of the UK-wide Help to Grow scheme. We are also taking significant action to support households with the cost of living totalling around £37bn this year. The Office for Budget Responsibility are the government’s official forecaster, and they will update their forecasts for UK GDP in the Autumn.

Tax Yields

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total revenue already accrued to the Treasury as a result of inflation that exceeds the Government's two per cent target.

Baroness Penn: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes monthly Public Sector Finances data, including public sector current receipts. However, there is no information available that breaks down the impact of inflation and other economic factors on these data. The Treasury does not produce fiscal forecasts, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are the government’s official forecaster. Inflation has a range of impacts on the public finances and previous OBR forecasts have shown how inflation can also increase spending on welfare and debt interest. The OBR will produce an updated forecast alongside the next Budget, which will reflect the impacts of an updated inflation outlook on both revenues and spending. The government is using all available tools to combat and reduce inflation – strong independent monetary policy, fiscal responsibility, and supply side reform.

Petrol: VAT

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much Value Added Tax the Treasury has received from sales of petrol in each quarter since January 2021.

Baroness Penn: The information requested is not available. HMRC does not hold information on VAT revenue from specific products or services. Businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level on their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.

Financial Institutions: Fines

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total amount of fines levied on financial institutions in the UK by UK financial regulators in each of the last five years up to 5 April 2022.

Baroness Penn: The tables below show the fines levied on financial institutions by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), and the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) since 2017. The tables do not include fines levied on individuals. FCACalendar yearMonetary value of fine or financial penaltyNumber of fines2017£ 229,079,42452018£59,104,11272019£ 312,730,600152020£192,470,018102021£ 567,528,420*7*2022 (up until 5 April 2022)£9,887,3232   PRAFinancial YearMonetary value of fine or financial penaltyNumber of fines2017 – 18 (March 2017 – Feb 2018)Nil02018 -19 (March 2018- Feb 2019)Nil02019 – 20 (March 2019- Feb 2020)£45,011,51222020 – 2021 (March 2020 – Feb 2021)£48,308,40012021 – 22 (March 2021- Feb 2022)£51,926,00022022 – 23 (March 2022 to 5 April 2022)Nil to dateNil to date PSRCalendar yearMonetary value of fine or financial penaltyNumber of fines2017Nil02018Nil02019Nil02020Nil02021Nil02022 (up until 5 April 2022)£ 33,261,3525  This information is publicly available on the websites of the FCA, PRA and PSR. *National Westminster Bank Plc’s fine is included for completeness, however this fine was levied by the Court following the FCA’s successful criminal prosecution of the Bank.

Income Tax: Tax Allowances

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the additional revenue the Treasury has received as a result of its decision not to index personal tax allowances for each year since the decision was taken; and what estimate they have made of the additional revenue that will be received by May 2024.

Baroness Penn: At Spring Budget 2021, the Government took the difficult but necessary decision to raise taxes to repair the public finances following the largest economic recession on record. The Government announced that the Income Tax Personal Allowance (PA) and the higher rate threshold will be maintained from 6 April 2022 until 5 April 2026 at £12,570 and £50,270 respectively. The Office for Budget Responsibility recently published their March 2022 Economic and fiscal outlook. This includes the latest estimate for yearly yield from maintaining the income tax thresholds.

Women and Equalities

UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Stedman-Scott on 20 June (HL780), why they have not nominated a candidate for the forthcoming election to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; and whether they will consider putting forward a candidate for the election in 2024.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The UK strongly supports the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and it is committed to advancing women’s rights. We are committed to the CEDAW process and regularly engage with the UN and the Committee. Ministers consider a range of factors when deciding whether to nominate an independent candidate for election to an international body such as the CEDAW Committee, including the time and resources to mount a campaign, the potential benefits and the impact on other international elections. The Government will decide whether to nominate a candidate for the 2024 election closer to the time, taking these factors into account once again.